Building self esteem can be not only be rewarding, it can also be fun. One method to overcoming issues connected to self esteem is the use of games and activities. These help reinforce important issues to do with self esteem, and to recognize areas for improvement. They can also produce entertainment and a shared experience. Focusing on aspects of self esteem such as strengths and qualities in a group situation can often add greater weight to a personal recognition of how one’s self esteem and how it can be improved. Here are some examples of games and activities designed for the development of self esteem.

Positive feedback

This group game involves the recognition of others' abilities and attributes. Its aim is for each member of the group to receive positive feedback from the other members. Everybody takes a piece of paper for each person in the group. On these separate pieces of paper, write the name of each person and as many positive things about them that you can. Once completed, gather all the pieces of paper and read out what has been written. Group members will hear the positive things that have been written about them and get a boost in their self esteem.

Create your own advertisement

This involves group members creating an advertisement of themselves in order to sell themselves as a potential best friend. They must list their strongest and most attractive qualities in order to advertise themselves well. This game helps people identify their positive personality traits and promotes self esteem. This game could also be played in different variations, such as writing an advertisement for another member of the group.

Running the self esteem gauntlet.

Standing facing each other, members of the group form two lines with space in the middle. Each group member takes it in turns to walk down the centre of the line. When they do this, the other members hi five them, pat them on the back, hug or kiss them. This game is designed to create feelings of acceptance and inclusion, leading to a rise in self esteem.

These are just some of the games and activities designed to improve self esteem. There are many other free games and guidelines out there to be explored, and places like the Internet are great places to find them. Search engines will provide a large number of links to different sites offering numerous games, activities and exercises, and these ideas can often trigger off other ideas of your own.

Low self esteem is quite easy to detect if you know how to look for certain signs. Some of them are physical, some reactionary and some relate to the ways in which they conduct themselves. Some of the most common signs of low self esteem are as follows. More..